An admitted felon is "saying that his co-conspirator and/or his aider and abetter was the president of the United States. That is something that I think is basically without precedent in American history" —@JeffreyToobin

I'm waiting for all those Republicans who thought Bill Clinton should be impeached for lying about sex to weigh in on what to do about a president who allegedly conspired to violate federal law to hide a sex scandal.— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) August 21, 2018

Hmmm, my understanding is Sessions refusing to leave his position has protected the investigation, however I do think he probably took dirty money at the least, so theoretically, are there any presidents for charges against the attorney general while in office? It seems like that would be a bit tricky for the agents to charge?

In 80 days Americans will vote.If Republicans win, Trump Stays in office. Imagine how much worse off another 2 and a half years of this guy will make AmericaIf Democrats win, there will be a certain impeachmentSpend these 80 days convincing your friends and family to vote!— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) August 18, 2018

@Platonailedit: David Corn knows all too well that he shouldn’t hold his breath waiting, but it’s worth (repeatedly!) pointing out to the wingnuts that in less than a year and a half, Mueller’s uncovered way more criminal activity than Ken Starr did in his entire tenure as special prosecutor.

What’s the deal with Lara Trump? She didn’t marry the Dumb One until 2014, so I assume for the majority of her adult life she was a normal, if not particularly admirable human being. Why throw herself into the metaphorical pit of pig shit so eagerly?

It was fun explaining to the kids last night exactly what Cohen and Manafort did, who they were to Trumpov, and what it means for the prez*. Who knew that teenagers were up for a civics lesson or five at home?? But now they are armchair experts on money laundering, paying off mistresses, and conspiracy with a hostile foreign power. Nice family bonding time discussing the president*s many imminent legal perils – what could be better?

@Gvg:
Would Trump take the opportunity to appoint a new AG to shut Mueller down? It seems to me that Mueller could avoid that by waiting to indict Sessions, until Trump was either indicted himself (should Rosenberg decide, in exceptional circumstamces, to pull that trigger) or impeached by a Democratic House.

@Platonailedit: I’ve always held the view that the fact that the guilt was so obvious was part of the appeal to Trump’s base: “He’s a slimeball, and it’s obvious and he’s going to get away with it forever!” They are aware of — and love — the irrational quality of it all, because it drives their social opponents (that’s anyone who values truth or sanity) up a wall.

It is not Cohen’s word against that of the Demented Dayglo Dickhead’s. Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations. There must be overwhelming evidence. It is highly improbable that the paper trail and the tapes contains no evidence of Trump’s foreknowledge.

@montanareddog: NAL, so not sure of the exact statute but Attorney-Client privilege does not cover conspiracy to commit crimes, I believe. If Cohen had tapes (I doubt there is a written instruction) of Trump telling him to make the payments then that is admissible.

This presidency, with GOP in control of both Houses, was an opportunity to show true leadership and guide the country through difficult and divisive times. Instead, they raided as much of the coffers as they could stuff into their greedy pockets. They all deserve the boot.

If y’all have 4 minutes and 11 seconds, go watch Beto O’Rourke’s response to a constituent with his take on NFL players kneeling – powerful stuff. Dem candidates, take note and don’t be afraid to stand up for those who are kneeling.

Until I Googled him just now, I’d forgotten that Kleindienst was the other guy who resigned on April 30, 1973, along with Haldeman and Ehrlichman. (“Two of the finest public servants it has been my privilege to know” – Nixon, in his speech that night. And Kleindienst had “no personal involvement whatever in this matter” according to Tricky Dick that night.) That was also the day Nixon fired John Dean.

Seriously, I’m waiting for him to completely lose his mind and give explicit orders to the mob like that. Maybe after a few more indictments. Maybe the day after Election Day, if we or Uncle Vladimir manage not to screw it up and actually retake the House and the State Houses.

Would Trump take the opportunity to appoint a new AG to shut Mueller down?

Near zero chance. The Senate is his only hope to avoid removal from office and if he removes Sessions, that fire door is now partly open – crossing senators is dangerous even for a president who isn’t a criminal. Mueller isn’t indicting Sessions unless you know something the rest of us don’t.

@low-tech cyclist: Music to my ears! The corrupt turd goblin won the district by nearly 20 points last time, but the yacht purchase on the same day he voted for the Trump Donor Relief Act is already getting bad press, and now this!

Warren in the Senate and Pelosi in the House have been pushing the “Culture of Corruption” theme hard. Good for them.

Trump’s real estate company authorized paying $420,000 to lawyer Michael Cohen in his effort to silence women during the presidential campaign and then relied on “sham” invoices from Cohen that concealed the nature of the payments, WaPo reports. https://t.co/0jdHviDZiO— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 22, 2018

@Cermet:
I was responding to Gvg’s speculation that Sessions too had taken Russian money, and could face indictment himself. I don’t know if that is true and I’m not aware of any evidence that it is. I was considering how, if it were indeed true, Mueller might go about indicting Sessions without leaving the investigation open to sabotage by a new AG at Trump’s instigation.

Meanwhile in puppy news, I’m completely worn out by just under 2 weeks of our new adoptee, a 1-1/2 yr, 27-lb beagle mix. I said on the adoption forms that I valued intelligence in a dog, but I think this little Houdini is smarter than I am, and so far winning the big battles of wits.

We decided (because he’s a chewer) to keep him in the kitchen at night and when we’re away.

First day, we bought a 28″ gate. Then found him on the other side. When we put him back, he demonstrated his effortless 28″ high jump. End of that gate.

Bought a 41″ gate but just used the pressure mounts the first day, didn’t install the extra hardware to keep it in place. He knocked it far enough out of place to spring open the door and walk out.

Installed the hardware. He opened the little latching cat door in the bottom of it and got out.

Tied up the cat door with string. And knowing he’s a chewer, I tied it in 4 separate places. Last night he chewed through that and opened the cat door. I put him back in at 2:30 am and wired the door shut. “At least that will take him a little time, and tomorrow I’ll find a padlock” I thought.

15 minutes later he was out and I found out he had actually opened the latch on the main human-sized gate. Latches are clearly in his repertoire now. I’m half afraid that picking a padlock would be too.

As I said, I’m exhausted. Theoretically I need to be in charge, so I can’t let him win this. But there’s a definite Wile E. Coyote feel about the whole thing.

@Joey Maloney: We discussed this a while back. It seems you can refuse a pardon if you have not yet been found guilty (K will clear my name!) But once found guilty, a Presidential aprdon is a thing utterly outside the scope of prosecution. It just is. So no, Cohen could not refuse a pardon at this point.

@Joey Maloney:
I think that it’s beause to accept forgiveness is to admit guilt. If you’re still contesting your guilt, as some do even after being convicted and serving a sentence, then you won’t want to accept a pardon. And if you won’t admit guilt even after all that, I suppose the pardoning authority should consider you unrepentant and not worthy of a pardon.

@low-tech cyclist: Music to my ears! The corrupt turd goblin won the district by nearly 20 points last time, but the yacht purchase on the same day he voted for the Trump Donor Relief Act is already getting bad press, and now this!

@TS (the original): I suspect that is good staff work and candidate preparation. It also indicates the skill to make a response to a question the campaign anticipated look like an off the cuff response. Either way, it’s a good sign.

I think the Hoarse Whisperer has it right, really: As a narcissist, yesterday’s exposure has Trump shutting down… until he can come up with a *new, improved* narrative that will make him the One True Hero of his own fantasies.

@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Ooof. I feel your pain. Kelpie can open the cat door and then wriggle through it, so I ended up using a couple of zip ties. What about a large carabiner clip for the human gate?

@Ceci n est pas mon nym: As my first obedience class trainer told us: People think they want a smart dog, but what they really want is a cooperative dog…

One of our rescues is a fiend at opening latches. He also climbs like a cat. Fortunately, he’s also a coward, so he doesn’t mind being crated when he can’t be supervised. Don’t know how your new housemate feels about crates… but if he just wants to be with you at night, you might try putting the crate in your bedroom & seeing if that lets you both sleep without interruptions.

but if he just wants to be with you at night, you might try putting the crate in your bedroom

I think that may just be the answer!

I got a crate because so many sources talked about it, but we haven’t done much with it and I’m afraid to traumatize him, make him associate it with punishment or loneliness or bad feelings. So I’ve avoided it so far.

Have a meeting with a trainer tomorrow, who is supposed to be worth her very pricey fee. I have high hopes. He IS super-intelligent after all, and most dogs want to be good dogs. So we just need to find a way to communicate on what that means to both of us.

Crates are the best way to start setting boundaries. Our dog Wendy learned that the crate was her “den” and not a prison, because it was comfy and private and she slept in it every night. She often went to it to escape our little boys! And we called it Pen State, so if she did do something naughty, we said sternly, “Pen State” and she headed right for it.

@Ceci n est pas mon nym: I’m sorry that you’re exhausted, and your dog seems to be an evil genius, but that story was hilarious.
My brother and sister in law had to crate their dog after he was found by a neighbor half in and half out of a window screen just like Winnie the Pooh. They had left the windows open because they had no air conditioning, and left the window over the kitchen sink open a little more because they thought he couldn’t possibly jump onto the kitchen counter.
I had to crate my dearly departed dog because he was such a chewer as a puppy, but he grew to like the crate and would grab his bed and take it in there at night by himself.

I’m completely worn out by just under 2 weeks of our new adoptee, a 1-1/2 yr, 27-lb beagle mix.

@Ceci n est pas mon nym: I will freely admit that the only creature (this includes humans) that has every scammed and outsmarted me completely was a beagle that I had the misfortune to babysit. Fucker had a plan to get out of his kennel and out of the yard, executed it flawlessly. I just remember walking back into the house, having just watched his little beagle butt vanishing under the fence, shaking my head, thinking “fuck, I just got totally, completely outsmarted by a dog”. You want to know what humility is? Having to accept that you just got totally, completely outsmarted by a dog.

I work with engineers who can’t plan every contingency as well as that dog did.

He came back a few hours later, very happy, having broken into every home in the neighborhood and eating all the cat food left out. He’d done that part before. I wasn’t even mad. He’d earned it, after all. But I made sure he was crated or inside for the rest of my time with him.

I got a crate because so many sources talked about it, but we haven’t done much with it and I’m afraid to traumatize him, make him associate it with punishment or loneliness or bad feelings. So I’ve avoided it so far.

@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Dogs love crates, they’re like their natural dens that they like to dig. Don’t use it for punishment, just put it in your bedroom and have him sleep in it at night. Our dog loves his. It’s one of the wire ones, we cover it with towels, and it’s like a little cave. He has a mattress in it but that is truly optional. Hell, some days I want to crawl in there myself.

@low-tech cyclist: I am a constituent of this asshole’s. I’m encouraged to hear that he could be facing stiff completion. I will cast my last vote ( I’m moving to Ca. ASAP) in Florida for whoever had a D after their name.

I wonder if the nation will ever come to grips with how horribly it has treated Hillary Clinton.

I’d say, “no”. Or at least, not until long after she and you and I are dead. Then she will be elevated as a martyr – her words will be invoked, and the lesson of what happened to her and why and what it means for America, will be ignored, whitewashed, or hand-waved away. Witness what happened to the memory of MLK Jr.